With an anterior placenta, the placenta sits between your baby and the front of your bump, which can cushion movements and make them feel softer or later than expected. To count them, find a still moment and focus on your sides and lower down, where movements are easier to feel (Kicks Count).
What an anterior placenta is
An anterior placenta is one that's attached to the front wall of your womb, between your baby and the front of your bump (Tommy's, Count the Kicks).
Kicks Count says your placenta's position is checked at the 20-week scan, and that an anterior placenta is not the same as a low-lying placenta.
How it changes what you feel
It may not be so easy to feel your baby's movements, because the placenta cushions the kicks (RCOG, Tommy's). It may take a little longer — in weeks — before you first feel your baby move (Count the Kicks). Count the Kicks says research shows movement counting times are similar to other placental positions from 24 weeks onwards.
When you might first feel kicks
Most people first feel their baby move somewhere between 16 and 24 weeks. With an anterior placenta, it's common to feel those first movements later, because the placenta cushions them (Kicks Count). Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says movement tends to be felt at around 20 weeks, and may not feel as strong.
Whatever your placenta's position, if you reach 24 weeks without feeling your baby move, let your midwife know (Kicks Count).
Your own pattern still matters
Tommy's says you should still feel regular movement — what's usual for your baby will just be different from someone whose placenta is elsewhere. You're comparing your days with each other, not with anyone else.
Say so at your next appointment if you're finding movements hard to feel.
Never put reduced movements down to your placenta
Never assume that an anterior placenta is the reason you can't feel your baby move (Tommy's). If you think your baby is moving less, movements feel weaker, or they've stopped, contact your midwife, doctor or maternity unit straight away. What to do.
Making movements easier to feel
Movements are easiest to feel when you're still. Count the Kicks suggests sitting or lying in a comfortable position and taking time to really focus on your baby's movements. Lying on your side, or sitting propped up with a hand on your bump, works well for most people. The best time to count has more.
Kicks Count, a UK charity, suggests focusing on your sides and lower down, as that's where you're more likely to feel movement with an anterior placenta. Our guide to where you'll feel kicks also covers your baby's position.